Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
weather mark. USA is again doing well in 6th.<br />
GBR is 16th. On the reach USA gets a RR42<br />
yellow flag and has to do a 720. GBR passes<br />
three boats. On the run GBR passes 11 boats<br />
to be second behind IRL. USA is 12th. On<br />
the next beat the wind builds to 20, BEL<br />
passes GBR. On the run both pass IRL and<br />
then duke it out the rest of the race to finish<br />
with a big margin over the next boats ESP<br />
and AUS. IRL fades to 9th after capsizing on<br />
the run when the wind gusts up to 29 knots.<br />
Race 4 Wind 25 knots from 025. It is now<br />
five o’clock and everyone is tired. IRL starts<br />
out well and is leading at the first mark with<br />
GBR, BEL and CRO right behind. On the run<br />
IRL swamps his boat and drops to 6th, GBR<br />
takes the lead with BEL and POL right behind.<br />
GBR goes on to win the race with BEL<br />
sometimes taking the lead. POL and IRL<br />
battle it out behind them.<br />
As one wanders around the <strong>Finn</strong> yard one<br />
learns things that race course security keeps<br />
us from seeing. On the second run of the<br />
race where BEL was 5th, it turns out he had<br />
a 150 meter lead and rolled it in, recovered<br />
in 3rd, passed GBR to regain the lead and<br />
going into the finish BEL rolls it in again. He<br />
wasn’t the only one capsizing. POL dumped<br />
and lost 8 boats. DEN got a control line in<br />
the mainsheet block and dumped.<br />
Today, the same strong Meltemi and more<br />
losses of control. Only the <strong>Finn</strong> and Yngling<br />
were sent racing because it was their media<br />
day on live coverage. All other classes were<br />
kept ashore. Why, when the elite sailors of<br />
the world are here, were their no other races<br />
Real sailors (read <strong>Finn</strong>s) went sailing.<br />
Day three<br />
Race 5 Wind 20 to 25 knots from 000 but<br />
there are lulls and 30 degree shifts. The real<br />
Jonas Christen from DEN we all got to know<br />
in Lauderdale finally showed up, picked up<br />
an early lefty and was gone, extending his<br />
lead on every leg. Behind him ARG, FRA and<br />
ESP had a great duel for the whole race.<br />
GBR was 10 in the early legs but moved up<br />
on the last legs and actually took 20 meters<br />
out of ARG in the last 150 meters before the<br />
finish. The real BEL also showed up again<br />
with another solid race. It is interesting that<br />
there are 20 sailors here who could win any<br />
given race by a good margin but the mental<br />
pressures keep them from their potential.<br />
Many of them admit they don’t know which<br />
of their beings will show up in any given race.<br />
POL was way back but he had CRO to<br />
contend with which made life difficult for POL.<br />
At the end of the fleet EST and ITA were 600<br />
meters back and were locked in a hammer<br />
and tongs battle that the TV focused on. SLO<br />
had lost his mast on the first run right in front<br />
of EST who had nowhere to go and dumped<br />
in order to avoid a high speed crash.<br />
Race 6. Wind 15 to 25 knots from 015 with<br />
30 degree shifts. GBR starts at the RC end<br />
and POL goes for the pin. POL is a foot early,<br />
learns that he was over midway up the beat<br />
and sails in early. The real IRL shows up and<br />
takes the early lead. GBR passes him on the<br />
run and then opens up more on every leg.<br />
BRA and GRE get among the leaders and<br />
have good races for a change. The real BEL<br />
is also racing in this race and moves more<br />
toward a medal. I didn’t think his mind was<br />
there but he is proving me wrong although<br />
he says the other not so hot BEL is still there.<br />
DEN is not quite as hot as in race 5 but is<br />
going well.<br />
Tomorrow is a lay day so I’ll sleep and then<br />
come in to repair the EST rudder and tiller<br />
which are badly bent. Then to see ancient<br />
Athens and some of the other events.<br />
Day four<br />
After yesterday and today everyone is tired<br />
and in need of a rest day. It is far from over:<br />
GBR is leading but has a DSQ and a 9th.<br />
ESP has a worst 8th. POL has an OCS and<br />
an 11th. BEL has a 19th and a 12th. As a<br />
guess either GBR or POL will win but never<br />
underestimate BEL. I’m not sure ESP can<br />
stay with the experience or toughness of BEL,<br />
GBR and POL.<br />
Day five<br />
When I arrived at the venue, all the classes<br />
that were held ashore yesterday were out.<br />
Their only problem was the wind. The old<br />
Meltemi was fighting with the seabreeze<br />
mechanism and the live TV feed showed<br />
lessons in patience.<br />
Carl Eichenlaub, the US Team boatwright<br />
helped repair the EST rudder and tiller. By<br />
the time it was done EST (Imre Taveter who<br />
also slept late) showed up.<br />
The four Groups need some adjustment. BEL<br />
is back and goes from GIII to GII; if he<br />
continues the same form as the last two days,<br />
he’ll go to GI with GBR and POL. NZL and<br />
TUR go from GII to GIII as they don’t show<br />
the ability claw their way up the fleet. FRA<br />
and ESP are at the head of GII; they spent<br />
a lot of time training together and it shows.<br />
FRA has only been sailing the <strong>Finn</strong> for two<br />
years which is an impressive performance.<br />
He is an engineer and is still disturbed by<br />
heavy air downwind.<br />
Day six<br />
“It is easy to loose respect for yourself as<br />
well as the opposition in this place.”<br />
“I’m sailing as if it is my fourth day in a <strong>Finn</strong>.<br />
I hadn’t capsized all year and now twice in<br />
this regatta.”<br />
Two good races today in a light pre-seabreeze<br />
and a moderate real seabreeze. The kind of<br />
micro Meltemi of the last three days has gone;<br />
it wasn’t the real Meltemi which can blow<br />
hard for weeks.<br />
With today’s results, the Olympic Regatta is<br />
taking shape. GBR is moving toward the Gold<br />
with an ability to sail up through the fleet.<br />
ESP is moving toward the Silver with a<br />
consistent mistake free series. Six have a<br />
medal chance: POL, BEL, AUS and CRO<br />
have a shot at Silver or Bronze; FRA and<br />
GRE have a shot at Bronze. Tomorrow will<br />
sort this out. Membership in the four Groups<br />
has to be modified again. AUS is solid in<br />
GroupII with today’s first race. POL is again<br />
solid in GroupI with today’s second race. BRA<br />
and SWE both move from GroupIV to<br />
GroupIII.<br />
Race 7. 6 knots building to 8 and backing<br />
from 220 to 180. There was a cluster<br />
something at the pin end and POL and GER<br />
restarted. CAN, ESP, GRE, IRL and NZL<br />
neglected to restart and were OCS. GBR had<br />
a conservative start at the RC and had to bail<br />
out right in a backing wind. BEL had the early<br />
lead until GBR overtook him on the second<br />
beat. AUS picked off a righty toward the end<br />
of the last beat and went on to win the race.<br />
USA was 9th until he had to do circles after<br />
the second weather mark. ARG had a great<br />
race going in 4th until he lost concentration<br />
and lost 10 boats.<br />
Race 8 The seabreeze kicked in at 1500 with<br />
11 knots from 175. This built to 17 knots and<br />
backed to 160. POL got a clear start and was<br />
14